Charlemagne de Silva
High General Charlemagne de Silva was an Overlander general of great prestige and fame in the AFO, the military forces of the Overlander government. He was most well known for being the commander in the Battle of the Badlands in 3223. Known for his bravery and his exceptional ability to rally his men, Charlemagne would have been a major problem for the Mobians and would have likely led his men to victory in the Siege of Knothole were it not for the defection of Julian Kintobor. He, unlike his direct superior, Colin Kintobor, was killed in the final major battle of the Great War when his forces were attacked by Deathcaller shock troopers. That being said, de Silva is still honored by Overlanders that believe that he did the things he did because he believed truly in his heart that he was right in doing so. Biography Charlemagne de Silva was born in a small town not too far outside of the capital of the Overland known as Viadaltus. The youngest of two brothers and one sister, Charlemagne grew up with great attention from his parents, much to the chagrin of his older siblings who teased and bullied him growing up. Set on showing his siblings that he was more than willing to become better than he was, Charlemagne dedicated his life to make himself physically imposing. He became cruel at an early age, and sculpted his body to do so. By the age of 17, he had the muscle mass of professional weightlifters, and immediately decided to join the OFA. Thanks to his high standing with his parents who were connected with ministers in Megacentral, Charlemagne was immediately placed into the Teram as a Captain, though he was not trusted by his subordinates, who immediately guessed his assignment as nepotism. De Silva quickly put his doubting colleagues in place by challenging a Praetorian to a bareknuckled boxing match and proceeding to knock the elite soldier out in two rounds while barely suffering a scratch. Proving that he was strong enough, he then challenged two other men at once, beating them both, proving that he was smart enough. From that point on, he was unconditionally acknowledged as a superior. Even before the Great War, Charlemagne had an intense hatred for Mobians, though he believed that they shunned them because they honored the faces of their progenitors. Though the Overlanders had very little knowledge of Earth - in fact general knowledge of their homeworld was lost in the Dark Ages, they knew very well that they were descended from Humanity. De Silva believed that he and his kin were cheated from a heritage that they as much deserved as the Mobians did, if not more so. To Charlemagne, how could a creature that looked so different than its ancestor claim what they had as a birthright? To Charlemagne, he wanted to take back what was rightfully that of the Overland. In 3210, Charlemagne led a short war in Nova Kanada that led to a stalemate and eventually a conditional alliance with the AFO. These Mobians hated those in the south just as much and were willing to trade radioactive materials in exchange for advanced technology that the Overlanders had. The government saw the opportunity to begin an arms race and prepare for war. From 3220 to 3224, the Great War raged across Northamer. De Silva commanded whole armies and served directly below Colin Kintobor who was High General of the Armed Forces of the Overland. His campaign would take him to the West Coast, though not as far as Mobotropolis. Instead, his forces went around the great city of the West and instead headed to Knothole, the Old City, for promises of ancient technology from the Lost Million that was horded here. However, before this, Julian Kintobor was believed to be captured in Old Megaopolis. Enraged for the loss of his brother, Colin commanded De Silva to attack Knothole. De Silva marched his forces to the walls and engaged in a brutal day long attack that resulted in the surprise that Julian had in fact joined the side of the Mobians and unleashed onto his own people mechanized fighters that pummeled the mass of troops, leading to a defeat and a crippling of the major Overlander forces in the south. Charlemagne himself fought valiantly alongside his men driven by anger at being betrayed. His group moved to close the gap created by these new robots, but his men, and soon the High General himself were cut down by Deathcallers - psychologically altered shock troopers used by the Kingdom. If the Great War did not end that night, the death of Charlemagne de Silva began its quick and quiet conclusion in the following weeks. Personality Noted for being extremely intelligent, Charlemagne was also known for his fiery temper especially when people commented on him being smaller than his siblings. It is possible that this was a psychological root for his self-improvement over the years to simply get back at his brothers and sister for tormenting him as a boy. This continued through his military service, though if there was anything that de Silva enjoyed, it was proving people wrong. Driven by his own beliefs that his people had been cheated out of a birthright, Charlemagne had intense hatred for Mobians, not because of their appearance, but because they presented themselves as opportunists and greedy thieves. His hatred would give way for patriotism as the disappearance of Colin's brother was considered unforgivable. However in combat, he was unshakable. Even in his final moments he never cracked under pressure, fighting until the bitter end, even when on the ground and dying. His valor and his bravery in battle were one of the greatest aspectes that he is remembered for. Behind the Scenes Charlemagne is actually mentioned as a character in the Archie comics. In the official comics, Charlemagne is the Overlord - the commander in chief of the Overlanders, and actually made it to Mobotropolis, and engaged in combat with Maximilian Acorn. However, after the fighting, the main forces of the Overlanders retreated and Charlemagne, presumably fled with the rest of his people, though there is no evidence of his appearance in subsequent issues. Also, no surname is ever given in the comics, so I took it upon myself to create a bit more of an identity for this man who we have so little actual information about. Trivia * Charlemagne is named after an ancient king of Franks in the Middle Ages, who was most notable for keeping a company of Paladins, known as the Twelve Peers, in his court. However, his surname suggests Hispanic, if not Iberian descent. List of Appearnaces Category:Character Category:Overlander Category:Mobius